Volunteers Keep Waterway Clean

Annual Effort Helps Clean Up C-11 Canal In Davie

May 10, 2009|By Scott Fishman Staff Writer

More than 480 volunteers recently did their part to help the environment during Davie's waterway cleanup.

The event, done in partnership with the Central Broward Water Control District, is an annual effort to extensively clean the stretch of the C-11 canal from State Road 7 to Flamingo Road. The canal is parallel with Orange Drive.

Bonnie Stafiej, the town's special projects director, said officials have made the cleanup a priority since its inception 22 years ago. The water district helps with a lot of the expenses, including the hats and T-shirts for volunteers.

"We still have great participation for this," she said. "I'm happy to say it still makes a difference in the community. ... The people obviously support this because every year they come out to clean, and they don't have to."

Volunteers worked their way down the waterway, many in boats, to remove trash from trees, bushes and along the sides of the canal.

Teresa Pratt has participated the past eight years and joined a group from Boy Scout Troop 128. She said the event provides a great example for youngsters.

"This is a good thing because a lot of the kids see a lot of the trash they think they can throw out the window," Pratt said. "That's the one thing the boys were commenting on. They would find one candy wrapper, then another candy wrapper and another. Everybody thinks a little bit of trash won't make a big deal, but once all that trash gets together, it makes a huge difference to the environment."

Susan Weiss, adviser for Western High School's Ecology Club, stressed the significance of the cleanup to her students. She provided gloves, extra bags and water for club members helping in the effort.

"She has done it from every year that I've been doing this," Stafiej said. "She wasn't paid to be here. It's important to her."

Stafiej is proud of how the effort has grown, and it shows residents' commitment to improving the environment.

"Every city has waterways ... so I would hope that every city would do the same [kind of effort]," she said.

Volunteers were rewarded for their efforts with community service hours and a Trash Splash pool party at Pine Island Park. They were treated to an afternoon of free food and music for a job well done.